Slaves of the Shadow Realm is the seventh studio album by Dutch extreme metal band Legion of the Damned. It is their second through Napalm Records and it comes 5 years after the label debut Ravenous Plague. I got to know them with that record. But they have come a long way, the band was formed in 1992 as Occult. In 2006, they changed their name to Legion of the Damned and released Malevolent Rapture. An interesting fact about the band: 6 of their 7 albums were released in the first week of January.
The five year wait was worth it because Slaves of the Shadow Realm is a no non-sense and fun thrash metal album. The Dutch quartet is highly influenced by their thrash masters German neighbors from Kreator, Destruction and specially Sodom. But Legion is far from being a copycat, they incorporate elements of Death and Black metal and some moments of Slayer, all to create their own sound.
While there's nothing new or revolutionary about Slaves of the Shadow Realm, it is a great joy to listen to it and you can feel that every song was well written to be performed live. That works well because the album is energetic and punchy. The riffs and tempo changes work magnificently. The vocals are harsh and yet understandable. And while there are no bad songs, I specially like the Slayer-influenced "Charnel Confession" featuring a fantastic high tempo groove. The single "Slaves of the Southern Cross" which fuses Slayer and Destruction to create a great slower tempo but even groovier monster song is another highlight. Other songs like the excellent "Nocturnal Commando" are furious and high speed thrash madness. Production wise, the band brings for the second time in a row producer Andy Classen and he presents an album with clear and clean production.
All and all, following the same vein as their previous records, Legion deliver with Slaves of the Shadow Realm a brutal thrash fest with unique flavor that should please old schoolers and become a neckbreaker live.
SCORE: 81/100
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